Historical

Echo Mountain

Echo Mountain

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-04-23 09:52:30
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Lauren Wolk
  • ISBN：0525555587
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Summary

★ "Historical fiction at its finest。" -The Horn Book

"There has never been a better time to read about healing， of both the body and the heart。" -The New York Times Book Review

Echo Mountain is an acclaimed best book of 2020！
An NPR Best Book of the Year - A Horn Book Fanfare Selection - A Kirkus Best Book of the Year - A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year - A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year - A Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year

After losing almost everything in the Great Depression， Ellie's family is forced to leave their home in town and start over in the untamed wilderness of nearby Echo Mountain。 Ellie has found a welcome freedom， and a love of the natural world， in her new life on the mountain。 But there is little joy after a terrible accident leaves her father in a coma。 An accident unfairly blamed on Ellie。

Ellie is a girl who takes matters into her own hands， and determined to help her father she will make her way to the top of the mountain in search of the healing secrets of a woman known only as "the hag。" But the hag， and the mountain， still have many untold stories left to reveal。

Historical fiction at its finest， Echo Mountain is celebration of finding your own path and becoming your truest self。 Lauren Wolk， the Newbery Honor- and Scott O'Dell Award-winning author of Wolf Hollow and Beyond the Bright Sea， weaves a stunning tale of resilience， persistence， and friendship across three generations of families。

"Soothing and exquisitely written。" -People

"This is a book that will soothe readers like a healing balm。" -The Wall Street Journal

"Brilliant。" -Lynda Mullaly Hunt， bestselling author of Fish in a Tree

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Reviews

Robbin Ivie ，

I think this book is perhaps the most universal book I’ve read。 It would be hard not to like this book。 Young kids， teen， adults。 It’s just a fun family becoming one with nature story。 It has some Swiss Family Robinson and To Kill a Mockingbird （the Boo Radley parts） vibes。 Cute dogs， plants， family。 It’s seriously hard to go wrong here and I would recommend it to anyone as a lovely read。 Only vaguely historical fiction which is fine。 My only real problem was the end really lost momentum。 I coul I think this book is perhaps the most universal book I’ve read。 It would be hard not to like this book。 Young kids， teen， adults。 It’s just a fun family becoming one with nature story。 It has some Swiss Family Robinson and To Kill a Mockingbird （the Boo Radley parts） vibes。 Cute dogs， plants， family。 It’s seriously hard to go wrong here and I would recommend it to anyone as a lovely read。 Only vaguely historical fiction which is fine。 My only real problem was the end really lost momentum。 I couldn’t put it down and I thought it was all wrapping up and coming to a close but then you have 50 more pages to go and it just dragged。 Every chapter I felt like had to be the end but it kept going tying up loose ends that weren’t there。 Aside from that though this book is a win。 。。。more

Ashley Wendt ，

Gosh！！！ That was beautiful。 I can’t put my finger on the thing I loved the most。 There was something about the main character and the writing that just draws you in a keeps you so engrossed。 There were so many lines that stole my breath and brought tears to my eyes。 This one is going to stay with me for a very long time。

Kathryn ，

This was a pretty fast paced book， even though there was not a ton of action， per se， there were big reveals and intense situations。 I liked Ellie， and appreciated all the magic and knowledge she found in the woods， but also empathized with her mom and sister who were doing their best （and doing a lot of work） to get by。 It was a fun story， and it made me curious if people really did move to the woods from the city during the Great Depression。I feel like in some ways Ellie was an exceptionally m This was a pretty fast paced book， even though there was not a ton of action， per se， there were big reveals and intense situations。 I liked Ellie， and appreciated all the magic and knowledge she found in the woods， but also empathized with her mom and sister who were doing their best （and doing a lot of work） to get by。 It was a fun story， and it made me curious if people really did move to the woods from the city during the Great Depression。I feel like in some ways Ellie was an exceptionally mature character—like， kind of too mature for a 12-year-old。 And she seemed to somehow never guess wrong or do the wrong thing， which wasn’t entirely believable， especially since everyone around her seemed to be very capable of making mistakes。I liked the ending， other than the resolution of Ellie’s secret about the accident—I felt like that wasn’t a good place to leave it， even though it was briefly addressed。 Overall， it was enjoyable and I appreciated that there was no language or scenes that made me feel uncomfortable （well， the maggots were a little icky， haha :）。 Good read！ 。。。more

Wendy Bamber ，

Beautifully written， just like Wolf Hollow that I also really enjoyed。 I was invested in the characters so much by the end that I wanted to keep going。 Set in post Depression America， this reminded me again of Little House in the Big Woods which was a huge favourite of mine as a child， also a little of Terry Pratchett’s Tiffany Aching。 As beautiful as these books are， I think my readership at school in New Zealand could be limited。 It will take readers with a lot of patience， happy to indulge in Beautifully written， just like Wolf Hollow that I also really enjoyed。 I was invested in the characters so much by the end that I wanted to keep going。 Set in post Depression America， this reminded me again of Little House in the Big Woods which was a huge favourite of mine as a child， also a little of Terry Pratchett’s Tiffany Aching。 As beautiful as these books are， I think my readership at school in New Zealand could be limited。 It will take readers with a lot of patience， happy to indulge in a 12 year old girl and her thoughts， with some quite lengthy and repetitive descriptions of administering honey to open wounds！ We do have some of those readers luckily who will enjoy this。 。。。more

Jennybeast ，

Great book， if a bit slow-moving。 Loved the emphasis on doing for yourself with what you have， and love for the natural world。 I also loved the theme of mental health that is wound throughout -- Ellie is just as concerned about the two mothers' grief as she is about the physical injuries she is trying to heal。 As a portrait of a time and a space， it is a beautiful work。 I particularly enjoyed the exploration of poverty and the way it changes each member of the family。 Loved the importance of mus Great book， if a bit slow-moving。 Loved the emphasis on doing for yourself with what you have， and love for the natural world。 I also loved the theme of mental health that is wound throughout -- Ellie is just as concerned about the two mothers' grief as she is about the physical injuries she is trying to heal。 As a portrait of a time and a space， it is a beautiful work。 I particularly enjoyed the exploration of poverty and the way it changes each member of the family。 Loved the importance of music and particularly the shout-out to the mandolin。 I think Ellie's voice and healing abilities feel a bit advanced for a 12 year old。 By the end of the book I felt embedded in the small mountain community and close to each of the characters， which is a remarkable gift。 。。。more

Cortney Westhoff-O'Farrell ，

Read aloud as a bedtime story to the whole family。 We thought the book was so good， we sent it to an Aunt to read to my 94 year old Grandma - when my Aunt finished reading， my Grandma asked if there was more？ Really good story， really good characters and we loved especially loved all the bits about being in and using nature as medicine。

Pat ，

Beautiful writing and a compelling young heroine made for a story that was hard to put down。

Raz ，

Once again， Wolk delivers a beautifully-written tale， introducing the reader to a tale of discovery in a delightfully-crafted world。Full RTC。

Lindsay ，

Started slowly but picked up pace。 Excellent book。 Definitely worthy of being shortlisted for Carnegie Medal。

Susan ，

Maine， mountain， poverty， family， neighbors 。。。

Donna ，

Ellie an dher family have moved to the mountains to start over after losing everything in the "crash。"Her father builds them a cabin and Ellie， her older sister and younger brother， and mother all do chores and make a life for themselves。 Ellie loves the mountains， but her older sister resents being there。 When an accident puts her father into a coma， things get very hard。 When Ellie meets an older woman who lives up the mountain， one that everyone refers to as the "hag" or "the witch" she learn Ellie an dher family have moved to the mountains to start over after losing everything in the "crash。"Her father builds them a cabin and Ellie， her older sister and younger brother， and mother all do chores and make a life for themselves。 Ellie loves the mountains， but her older sister resents being there。 When an accident puts her father into a coma， things get very hard。 When Ellie meets an older woman who lives up the mountain， one that everyone refers to as the "hag" or "the witch" she learns so much more about the mountain， life， and what women can really do。Historical fiction， strong protagonist， family， believing in yourself。 。。。more

Becky ，

I like the thought of a heartbeat name。。。”You know: two parts。 Ba-bum。 Ba-bum。”。

Freya Wolfe ，

Everything a children’s book should be - magical， meaningful and entertaining。 Lovely setting and characterisation and I loved the over-arching messages on identity and courage and judgement。

Megan ，

"It was something I could do， so I did。" This is one of the most wonderful stories I've ever read， and I encourage everyone to make time to read it for themselves。 "It was something I could do， so I did。" This is one of the most wonderful stories I've ever read， and I encourage everyone to make time to read it for themselves。 。。。more

Nadine ，

Enjoyable read about a young girl finding her way through the difficulties of the depression and living a hard life in the mountains and dealing with tragedies within the family。 I love how these experiences shape her and help her to figure out he purpose。

Mia ，

I absolutely loved Echo Mountain: from the stunning front cover to the extremely likable characters， this book was definitely my favourite Carnegie book so far！Echo Mountain gave me a new appreciation for the wilderness。 Nature is such a beautiful creation and I loved that the protagonist， Ellie， explored it in the story。 Ellie loves all things to do with the outside。 She had a sense of freedom as she roamed around the mountains she deemed as home， in order to escape her chaotic family life。 Her I absolutely loved Echo Mountain: from the stunning front cover to the extremely likable characters， this book was definitely my favourite Carnegie book so far！Echo Mountain gave me a new appreciation for the wilderness。 Nature is such a beautiful creation and I loved that the protagonist， Ellie， explored it in the story。 Ellie loves all things to do with the outside。 She had a sense of freedom as she roamed around the mountains she deemed as home， in order to escape her chaotic family life。 Her family was in tatters; her father was in a coma， Ellie was hated for something she didn't do and a clear division had been created between her and her older sister， Esther。 I loved Ellie's determination！ Ellie was willing to do anything to get her father back and， throughout the story， we saw Ellie break boundaries to try to recover any hope of her father ever waking up。 She went on a mission of self discovery to find out what she would do for love。 Along the way she meets new characters that I fell in love with。 However， characters we meet later on in the storyline do detract a little from Ellie's father's storyline。 However， this isn't necessarily a bad thing as we learnt that sometimes its better to embrace who we do have， not who we don't。 I really connected with Ellie and when she felt sad， I felt sad！ I was also surprised that I managed to connect with other characters， other than the narrator。 This shows how well emotion is portrayed in the story and how well the characters were written。Initially， I didn't take much notice of the book's front cover but- after reading it- I found a new appreciation for it as I understood that it was showing the characters on echo mountain and echo mountain itself！！！ I found the cover really enticing and it really stands out！My one criticism is that Ellie was an extremely mature 12 year old- using sophisticated language and doing things I couldn't imagine any teen - let alone a child - doing。 This made it a bit unrealistic， seeing as at home Ellie was treated at a 12 year old but actually acted a LOT older。 Yet， alternatively， she has had to adapt to a mountain life style and for her to have more mature attributes is vital for her family's survival。My absolute favourite quote from Echo Mountain is 'The things we learn to do， we learn to do by doing。' This quote showcases Ellie's determination and obstinate nature to do whatever she sets her mind to。Overall I loved Echo Mountain and would definitely recommend！！ 4/5 stars for me。😁 。。。more

Kevin Hodgson ，

This book had many layers of richness and story 。。。 A great young adult novel with a young female protagonist whose voice and insight will stay with you long after you've left the mountain。 This book had many layers of richness and story 。。。 A great young adult novel with a young female protagonist whose voice and insight will stay with you long after you've left the mountain。 。。。more

yvonnelesenundso ，

"Das Leben ist eine Aneinanderreihung von Augenblicken， so wie Regen aus zahlreichen Tropfen besteht。 Einen Regentropfen nach dem anderen zu berühren， um jeden einzelnen zu zählen， zu ordnen oder seinen Wert zu bemessen， wäre unmöglich。 Worum es ging， war: sich in den Regen zu stellen。 Mitten hinein。 Das war es， was ich tun wollte。" "Das Leben ist eine Aneinanderreihung von Augenblicken， so wie Regen aus zahlreichen Tropfen besteht。 Einen Regentropfen nach dem anderen zu berühren， um jeden einzelnen zu zählen， zu ordnen oder seinen Wert zu bemessen， wäre unmöglich。 Worum es ging， war: sich in den Regen zu stellen。 Mitten hinein。 Das war es， was ich tun wollte。" 。。。more

Brandy Curtis Richards ，

Ellie is what I neededI read this aloud with my four children。 We learned so much and look forward to the summer to forage and remember the story in our play。

Melissa ，

This book does a great job of encouraging empathy for all living things， encouraging young people to observe and listen to the world around them， and honor the living world through their actions and passions。

Lauren Flores ，

A charming book， and I think I loved it even more because I shared the magic by reading this book out loud nightly with my Mom ❤️。A beautiful story， a simple story， about tragedy in a different era， and a girl who keeps pushing forward and trying her best to help her family。 The book had beautiful sentences and I’m so happy that I came across this author。 She has such a way with words in a way that shows such dignity to children by giving them prose that’s complex and ethereal and just magical。 A charming book， and I think I loved it even more because I shared the magic by reading this book out loud nightly with my Mom ❤️。A beautiful story， a simple story， about tragedy in a different era， and a girl who keeps pushing forward and trying her best to help her family。 The book had beautiful sentences and I’m so happy that I came across this author。 She has such a way with words in a way that shows such dignity to children by giving them prose that’s complex and ethereal and just magical。 I can’t wait to read more of this author！ 。。。more

Mrs。 McGuire ，

Kids that enjoy nature stories and adventure will love this book。

m。 molony ，

Holy shit I loved this so much。 I wish it was aroundwhen I was 12

Lana Joy ，

Fun quick read about growth and finding yourself through challenging times。 I love stories that speak of nature and creatures like this one。 I just wanted more description and bigger deeper characters or else it would have been a five。

Renee Hughes ，

This was such a heartwarming read ❤️ Anne of Green Gables meets The Great Alone - I loved this one！

Michael ，

4。5

Caoimhin ，

It is 1933 and Ellie's family have to leave the comfort of their home， due to losing everything in the Great Depression， for the mystical sounding Echo Mountain。 As a family they have to live more humbly and rely on the food found within the mountains， which more often than not requires Ellie and her father going out to hunt and fish。 This I feel is one of the strengths of the story as it does not shy away that the family， in order to survive， have to hunt and kill animals。One day whilst Ellie， It is 1933 and Ellie's family have to leave the comfort of their home， due to losing everything in the Great Depression， for the mystical sounding Echo Mountain。 As a family they have to live more humbly and rely on the food found within the mountains， which more often than not requires Ellie and her father going out to hunt and fish。 This I feel is one of the strengths of the story as it does not shy away that the family， in order to survive， have to hunt and kill animals。One day whilst Ellie， her brother and father are out cutting down a tree for firewood， there is a tragic accident。 This ends up with her father being put into a severe state of unconsciousness。 With her father 'out of action' Ellie is required to take over the role from her father in feeding and to some extent looking after her family。Whilst out in the wild， exploring the beauty of the mountains， Ellie keeps coming across small gifts such as flowers， wood carvings and food， that appear to be for her to find。 And then she comes across Cate， the outcast witch， and Larkin， her grandson。 From them she learns that she has the confidence in which to heal Cate， who is unwell herself， and her own father。I think this is definitely a strong contender for the 2021 Carnegie Children's Book Prize。 It has all the elements of a good story， and one that will remain in your head after you finish。 I love stories where there are friendships between an adult and child。 I love how Cate and Ellie learn from each other。 I feel there is a message weaving through the story regarding greed and ownership， especially in regards to resources that nature has given us。 I really do urge you to read this book， whether you are an adult or child。 。。。more

Josiah ，

Like 1993 Newbery Medalist Cynthia Rylant， Lauren Wolk excels at writing about life in rural and mountainous areas。 Maine， 1934: the U。S。 Great Depression has caused crippling financial woes statewide， and twelve-year-old Ellie's family is suffering for it。 After her father lost his tailor shop and her mother was laid off from her teaching job， the family packed up and moved to isolated Echo Mountain。 Ellie and her father loved the mountain from day one， but Ellie's fifteen-year-old sister Esth Like 1993 Newbery Medalist Cynthia Rylant， Lauren Wolk excels at writing about life in rural and mountainous areas。 Maine， 1934: the U。S。 Great Depression has caused crippling financial woes statewide， and twelve-year-old Ellie's family is suffering for it。 After her father lost his tailor shop and her mother was laid off from her teaching job， the family packed up and moved to isolated Echo Mountain。 Ellie and her father loved the mountain from day one， but Ellie's fifteen-year-old sister Esther and their mother want nothing more than to resume their former life in town。 Samuel， Ellie's six-year-old brother， doesn't mind the mountain， but it is he who unwittingly sets into motion a chain of events that permanently alters Ellie's family。 Life is different these days， ever since Ellie's father's accident。 Chopping down tall， thick trees for lumber is a dangerous job， and he got the worst of it one day when Samuel drifted into the path of a tumbling tree。 There was a desperate lunge to shove the boy out of the tree's path。。。and here we are months later， Ellie's father still comatose in bed。 The doctor could do nothing but take most of the family's money and tell them the man of the house might never awaken; it depends how much damage the tree did to him。 Since then， every day revolves around caring for Ellie's father: cleaning and shaving him， turning his body on a regular basis so he won't develop bed sores， talking and reading to him so he knows his family is near。 Ellie's mother and Esther believe it was she who wandered into the tree's path so her father had to save her， and Ellie doesn't challenge their assumption。 Better to bear the blame herself than let Samuel take it， a boy who could not bear the guilt if he thought himself responsible for his father's condition。 Without asking permission， Ellie secretly tries crazy things to wake her father up， but will he ever return， or is he doomed to a perpetual living death？ "The things we need to learn to do， we learn to do by doing。" —Echo Mountain， P。 342 When the family dog， Maisie， has puppies， Ellie saves the life of an apparently stillborn one by dunking it in brisk water。 She soon falls in love with Quiet， the name she gives the pup， and Ellie can't help wondering: would a similar shock rouse her father？ But Ellie has another mystery to solve。 An anonymous someone is carving lovely wooden figurines and leaving them outdoors for her to find， intricate little gifts in a world of economic despair where no one gives away anything for free。 Could the woodcarver be from the "wild" side of Echo Mountain， the populace that lived here before the Great Depression， who don't mingle with the newcomers from town？ There are rumors of a "hag" near the mountaintop， an old woman who dabbles in black magic and other taboos。 As Ellie ventures closer to this side of the mountain against her mother's expressed wishes， she finds herself in a dramatic story involving a badly injured old lady， a boy Ellie's age with a passion for creating art， and social biases that rage against each other from both sides of the mountain。 Are the original mountain folk nothing but superstitious， backward no-accounts？ Are the townsfolk who moved here after losing their homes in the Great Depression destined to poison the natural， contented living on Echo Mountain？ Ellie may have saved Quiet by submerging him in water the day he was born， but it will be harder to save Cate—better known as the "hag"—and her own father， whose life is passing him by as he lies unconscious in bed。 The world is forcing Ellie to grow up extra fast， but can she and her family find a happy ending in the woods of Echo Mountain？Wolf Hollow， Lauren Wolk's middle-grade debut， was a 2017 Newbery Honoree。 It's a deep， fast-moving， powerful novel， and Echo Mountain isn't nearly on that level。 It moves slowly， and in the end doesn't go much of anywhere; even the "plot surprises，" if you can call them that， don't have much impact。 The writing could be clearer and more concise， but at least the simplicity of Ellie's mountain life conveys basic truths about the human condition。 Every human begins life an utter novice; you have to figure out what you're doing as you go along and hope to make something of yourself before your years are used up。 This is the challenge of life in all its mystery and glory。 I suppose I might consider rating Echo Mountain two and a half stars; it falls well short of its potential， but doesn't deter me from reading more by Lauren Wolk in the future。 As Wolf Hollow proved， she is capable of exceptional things。 。。。more

Anne ，

Loved this book and the world of Echo Mountain！ Kate Wolk writes characters you cheer for， cry for and want to meet！

Shalimari ，

- "And every long， gray rain that found its way into our sad tent reminded them of how we had lost our house。 Sold nearly everything we owned。 Took what little was left。 And went looking for a way to survive until the world tipped back to well。"The beginning was good， the second half of the book dragged on a bit。 - "And every long， gray rain that found its way into our sad tent reminded them of how we had lost our house。 Sold nearly everything we owned。 Took what little was left。 And went looking for a way to survive until the world tipped back to well。"The beginning was good， the second half of the book dragged on a bit。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Echo Mountain

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Echo Mountain&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Echo Mountain&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0